Ewald Harndt (1901–1996) and His Relationship to National Socialism
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RESEARCH ORIGINAL ARTICLE 131 Dominik Groß A complex case: Ewald Harndt (1901–1996) and his relationship to National Socialism Introduction: Ewald Harndt (1901–1996) has shaped modern German den - tistry like hardly any other scientist: The leading national professional society (DGZMK) elected him its president (1957–1965), the Free University of Berlin appointed him its rector (1967–1969), and the German Dental Association (BZÄK) awarded him the Fritz-Linnert Badge of Honour (1991). He received similar awards and honours throughout the world. Discussion: While Harndt‘s professional and academic achievements are un- disputed, there is still a lack of clarity regarding his role in the Third Reich: On the one hand, he was dismissed in 1945 due to his membership in the Nazi Party (NSDAP), on the other hand, more recent articles point out that Harndt was considered a political suspect in the Nazi state and thus place him close to an opponent or even victim of the Nazi regime. Against this back- ground, the present paper aims to illuminate Harndt’s relationship to National Socialism. The methodological basis is a comprehensive analysis of the avail- able archival sources and contemporary printed material and a systematic re- evaluation of the secondary literature on Ewald Harndt. Results: It can be shown that Harndt made a number of inconsistent, false or euphemistic statements, particularly in the denazification process. The source analysis leads to the conclusion that Harndt cannot be classified as a victim but as a political follower. He was undoubtedly not a “fervent” National So- cialist, but he served the regime as a member of various Nazi organizations and networks, as well as by endorsing Nazi “health policy” and using Nazi terms – notably in the fields of eugenics (“vererbt geistig minderwertige Kinder”, “Unfruchtbarmachung”, “Blutsverwandtschaft”) and religion (“deutschreli giös”). Keywords: Third Reich; History of Dentistry; Eugenics PRWTH Aachen University, Medical School, Aachen: Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dominik Groß Citation: Groß D: A complex case: Ewald Harndt (1901–1996) and his relationship to National Socialism. Dtsch Zahnärztl Z Int 2020; 2: 131–141 Peer-reviewed article: submitted: 18.02.2020, revised version accepted: 17.03.2020 DOI.org/10.3238/dzz-int.2020.0131–141 © Deutscher Ärzteverlag | DZZ International | Deutsche Zahnärztliche Zeitschrift International | 2020; 2 (4) GROSS: 132 A complex case: Ewald Harndt (1901–1996) and his relationship to National Socialism Introduction the life and work of Ewald Harndt bilitation on the subject of “Rho - The scientific and professional im- and his professional environment danide in Saliva” was completed, and portance of Ewald Harndt is beyond was carried out – with a specific focus in April 1938 he was appointed as a doubt: There is hardly any important on the issues outlined above. “Privatdozent” (private lecturer, com- position within the university hier- parable to associate professor) – also archy and hardly any honour in the Results in Berlin. One year later, he became a field of dentistry that he did not “Dozent neuer Ordnung” (lecturer of archive or receive. Even after his Ewald Harndt – a brief outline the new order) – which was a better death he remained in the collective of his life and work financial position –, and in 1944 he memory of the profession, as shown Ewald Albert Heinrich Harndt was became a “außerplanmäßiger Profes- by the “Ewald Harndt Medal” last born on January 22, 1901 in Berlin sor” (titular professor). awarded in 2018. (Fig. 1, [49]). His curriculum vitae is After the end of the Second World However, Harndt’s role in the very well documented [2, 16, 17, 20, War, Harndt was released from uni- Third Reich is much less contoured: 53, 62–64, 66, 68, 71, 74, 75]. He was versity service by registered mail from On the one hand, it is known that he the son of the Berlin merchant Adolf the occupying authorities (Fig. 2, belonged to the Nazi Party (NSDAP), Harndt and his wife Emma, née [60]). In 1946, however, things went and on the other hand, more recent Peege [2]. Harndt grew up in Berlin, uphill again: He then became (ini - essays claim that Harndt had been where he attended elementary tially provisional) head of the De - classified as a political suspect in the school (1907–11), secondary school partment of Dental Conservation at National Socialist state and had suf- (1911–16) and subsequently the “Kö- the Dental Institute of the University fered repression. nigstädter Oberrealschule”. There he of Berlin. In 1948, he was promoted But what are the historical facts? passed his Abitur in 1920 [60]. In the to the position of regular extraordi- What really distinguished his per - same year he began studying medi- nary professor and director of the De- sonality, what was his role in the cine and dentistry in Berlin. In 1924 partment for tooth conservation at Third Reich and how did his career he passed the dental examination – the Dental Institute of the former develop – before 1945, but also in the also in Berlin – and obtained his Friedrich Wilhelm University in East- post-war period? Was Harndt a perpe- license to practice dentistry. There he ern Berlin (since 1949: “Humboldt trator or a victim, or does he evade received his doctorate (Dr. med. University of Berlin”). In May 1950 such dichotomous categorization? dent.) in 1925 with a “histological- he became full professor (“Ordina- These are the core questions of this bacteriological study on periodontitis rius”) and director of the Dental Insti- paper. The first step is to trace the life chronica granulomatosa”. In 1926 he tute. Then Harndt decided to take a and work of Ewald Harndt. In the fol- passed the medical examination and momentous step: In November 1950 lowing, the focus will be on the years obtained his license as physician. he gave up his professorship in the 1933 to 1945 to examine Harndt‘s A year earlier, in 1925, he had East and moved to West Berlin, where relationship to National Socialism. already founded a dental practice in he initially worked as a dentist in a Subsequently, it will be clarified how a working-class district of Berlin, private practice. But already in 1951 Harndt‘s role in the Third Reich was which, however, “had only little he was offered a position at the newly perceived and evaluated after 1945 – popularity” [64], so that he looked founded Free University (Freie Uni- starting with the denazification pro- for alternatives. In 1926 he became a versität, FU) in West Berlin. Here he ceedings, through the laudations and volunteer at the Surgical Clinic of the started as a lecturer, became an hon- obituaries up to other more recent Friedrich Wilhelms University Berlin orary professor in 1954 and then full publications that deal with his bi- with August Bier and at the Medical professor (“Ordinarius”) for dentistry, ography. In the end, concise con- Clinic with Friedrich Kraus. In 1927 oral and maxillofacial surgery and clusions are drawn. he moved to the Dental Institute of head of the (newly established) poly- the University of Berlin as an assis - clinic of the same name in 1956. He Material and Methods tant, where he worked with the re- held these positions until his retire- The study is based on several archival nowned professors Wilhelm Dieck, ment in 1970. Several years of work source collections from the Federal Fritz Williger and Hermann in his own dental practice followed. Archives in Berlin and the Berlin Schroeder. There he gained a foot- Ewald Harndt died on October State Archives, some of which have hold: In 1929, he obtained his sec- 11, 1996 in Bad Pyrmont – at the been evaluated for the first time. ond doctorate (Dr. med.) on the blessed age of almost 96 years. Among them is also the denazifi- “Amalgam-Mercury Question”. In the At the end of his life Harndt could cation file of Ewald Harndt. year preceding the doctorate he had look back on a brilliant career with In addition, Harndt‘s publications married Frieda Gertrud Koepnik in many awards and outstanding offices, and reviews from 1933 to 1945, vari- Berlin who bore him 2 sons – Rai- which can only be addressed here in ous directories of dentists and the mund (1930–2010) and Thomas extracts: In early 1937 Harndt receiv- “Reichsarztregister” (German medical (*1932) [2]. In 1935 he became senior ed the Miller Prize of the “Deutsche register) were analyzed. Moreover, a assistant and closest collaborator of Gesellschaft für Zahn-, Mund- und systematic re-analysis of the relevant Dieck‘s successor Eugen Wannen- Kieferheilkunde” (German Associ- international research literature on macher. In June 1936, Harndt‘s ha- ation for Dental, Oral and Maxillofa- © Deutscher Ärzteverlag | DZZ International | Deutsche Zahnärztliche Zeitschrift International | 2020; 2 (4) GROSS: A complex case: Ewald Harndt (1901–1996) and his relationship to National Socialism 133 Figure 1 Ewald Harndt (1901–1996) Figure 2 Dismissal of Harndt from university (1945) cial Medicine, DGZMK) – then as of the FU Berlin and in 1968 he be- Harndt, who would have turned 100 now the most important scientific came Rector of the university – this this very year. On this occasion, the prize in German dentistry. From 1947 step undoubtedly marked the height ”Zahnärztekammer Berlin“ (Berlin to 1968 he was an elected board of his career. After Oskar Römer Dental Council) established the member of the German “ARPA” (1928), Johannes Reinmöller (1933) “Ewald Harndt Medal” [16, 63]. (today: German Society for Periodon- and Heinrich Hammer (1958), Harndt‘s main areas of work and tology, DGParo) and from 1949 to Harndt was only the fourth German research were tooth preservation and 1969 a board member of the DGZMK, professor of dentistry to be elected endodontics, in particular pulpitis including 8 years (1957 to 1965) as rector.